


Give it shape

by Port_in_a_Storm



Series: Roblivion - Find my home [2]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Boys In Love, Brother-Sister Relationships, Families of Choice, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Light Angst, M/M, Slice of Life, Some mention of Gordon Livesy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-07-14 06:35:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7157594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Port_in_a_Storm/pseuds/Port_in_a_Storm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liv asks Aaron about Paddy after overhearing them on Skype. It leads to Aaron opening up about his kind-of-Dad, and Liv comes to her own revelations about Robert.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Give it shape

**Author's Note:**

> You guys are amazing!! Thank you all so much for the amazing feedback on 'Soften every edge'! I seriously did not expect that kind of reaction! This is another little one-shot to add to my Roblivion collection. 
> 
> A little warning: there are some mentions of Gordon, but nothing too much. Also, Liv says some things which may be... questionable about her and Aaron's experiences growing up, but it is nothing that she hasn't voiced on the actual show. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this!

Robert heard Aaron talking and laughing when he entered the back room of the pub. His boyfriend was sitting to the table, a grin on his face, and it lit Robert’s heart.

‘Well he’s here now, if you wanna say hello,’ Aaron said to the computer in front of him. Robert heard a stuttered reply (he knew instantly who it was), before being summoned with a gesture from Aaron. Robert shook his head vehemently, but forced a smile to his lips when Aaron pinched his arm and hissed ‘be nice’ as he got up to let Robert sit down.

‘Hi, Paddy,’ Robert greeted.

‘Hiya.’

There was a long pause. Robert could feel the awkwardness through the broadband. ‘So, uh… you’re looking well.’

‘Thanks.’ Paddy grimaced through a smile and nodded, avoiding eye contact at all costs. ‘So are you.’

Another painful silence. Robert looked at Aaron. Aaron wasn’t quick enough to hide the smirk on his face. Robert hoped his own face said _‘I’m gonna fucking kill you.’_ It apparently did, because Aaron cleared his throat, wiped the smile off his face and pushed Robert off the seat.

‘Honestly, can’t get a word in edgeways with you two,’ he said teasingly with a smile. Paddy looked too relieved for Robert’s liking.

Paddy laughed awkwardly. ‘Where’s your mum?’

‘She’s out with that Jason again,’ Aaron said. 

‘That’s good. Nice, I mean. She needs someone who’ll be good to her.’

‘Yeah.’ He trailed off, and Robert was immediately on the alert, watching from the kitchen as Aaron’s body language became a bit more defensive.

‘What?’ Paddy asked. ‘He _is_ alright, isn’t he?’

‘Yeah, no, he’s fine. It’s just—it’s weird, y’know. Knowing that he knows… all of that stuff about me.’

Robert looked down at his shoes. Aaron had voiced his concerns to Robert the day after Chas had announced she was going on a date with DS Wise. Robert had got it out of him, Aaron’s worries, and tried to console him, telling him that it could only be a good thing. Wise knew how to comfort Chas, he knew how to act around Aaron so that it wasn’t awkward.

Over Skype, Paddy said much the same. ‘At least he knows,’ he said in that soft, fatherly voice. ‘Saves any awkward conversations later. Plus, he knows how to handle your mum.’

‘Suppose so.’ Aaron caught Robert’s eye and smiled.

‘Right,’ Paddy said, clearing his throat. ‘I’d better go. Got some patients to see in a bit. Look after yourself, Aaron.’

‘Yeah, you too, mate.’

They signed off with a goodbye. Aaron had stopped asking when he’d be back. The answer was always the same: when Rhona feels ready. No one had the heart to tell him that she and Pierce were cosying up.

Robert leaned back against the kitchen counter, his arms folded. He was smiling, though. ‘So you were talking about me then?’

‘Hm?’ Aaron closed the lid on the laptop and joined his boyfriend in the kitchen. ‘Yeah, he was just asking how you were.’

‘Checking I was still around more like.’

Aaron rolled his eyes. He draped his arms around Robert’s shoulders, linking his hands at his neck. ‘Don’t be like that,’ he chided. He leaned in to kiss Robert all the same, humming softly when Robert put his hands on his waist. ‘Hi,’ Aaron breathed when he drew back from the kiss. 

‘Hi.’ Robert gripped him tighter and moved forward again. 

Aaron let him kiss him, but before he could get too carried away, he pushed Robert away gently. ‘Liv is upstairs.’

‘Again?’ Robert pulled back with a displeased frown.

His boyfriend ducked his head to hide a smile, but Robert had seen it and it made him grin. ‘She _lives_ here,’ Aaron said, but with a hint of affection and laughter in his voice. Aaron had told Robert before that he knew things were a bit more difficult; not strictly because of Liv, because that was getting better now that she wasn’t hell-bent on getting Robert out of her brother’s life, but also because all of them living under one roof, in each other’s pockets and getting under each other’s feet, wasn’t the ideal way to live. Robert didn’t want to broach the topic of getting their own place (with Liv, of course, because Aaron wouldn’t have it any other way—and to be honest although he’d never say it, neither would Robert) because he didn’t want Aaron to get the wrong idea: didn’t want him to think that Robert was pushing him for something that Aaron wasn’t yet ready to give. They were getting better at communicating, but there were still times that Robert would remember Aaron pushing him away, and he’d get nervous. That was a hurdle that they still needed to jump. Right now, they were both stuck there padding around it like nervous horses, but eventually one of them needed to do something, or they’d lose the race altogether.

‘Doesn’t she have school to go to?’ Robert asked. He stepped back a bit anyway, but didn’t take his hands off Aaron. 

Aaron snorted. ‘What, like you have work to go to, you mean?’

‘I’m on _lunch_ ,’ he argued. ‘I’m allowed time off.’ In truth, Robert had headed back to the pub during his lunch break in the hopes of seeing his boyfriend. They had been rather rudely interrupted this morning, when they were trying for some Alone Time, by Liv yelling there was no bread in the house. ‘I wanted to see you,’ he murmured.

‘You saw me this morning,’ Aaron teased, though he swayed a little closer to Robert and gripped his shirt lightly. ‘And last night. You saw me a _lot_ last night.’

They grinned remembering being kept awake into the early hours of the morning, their talking reduced to whispers, and their moans to whimpers. Aaron had nearly bit through his bottom lip trying to keep quiet when he saw the bathroom light flicker on. 

Movement from upstairs and heavy footsteps on the stairs drew them away from each other, and Aaron frowned in disapproval when Liv came through the door. ‘What have I told you about being so noisy on them stairs?’

Liv shrugged. ‘Didn’t realise anyone was home.’ She offered Robert a glance and a small smile, then pushed her way to the cupboard for a packet of crisps.

‘That’s not your lunch, is it?’ Robert said. Liv shrugged again. ‘Right, come on, both of you, we’re going somewhere nice for lunch.’

‘I don’t have time,’ Aaron objected, at the same time Liv said ‘I’m supposed to be ill.’

‘Aaron, you can make time, and Liv, I don’t think you particularly care about being caught out at this point.’ 

Liv grinned at him, then looked at Aaron. ‘Don’t make a habit of it,’ her brother said. Liv cheered and went upstairs to change her clothes. He turned to Robert. ‘You either. We’re supposed to be tellin’ her, don’t forget.’

‘I know. But neither of you have eaten, I bet. So, we’re going out. My treat.’

‘I should think so too.’ He pushed Robert back against the cabinet. ‘You’re a bad influence, Robert Sugden.’

‘I plan on making a habit of it.’ Robert grinned as Aaron pulled him into a kiss. 

****

‘Who were you talkin’ to on Skype?’ Liv suddenly asked after ten minutes of silent eating.

Aaron swallowed his mouthful and licked sauce off his thumb. ‘Paddy. Were you listenin’ in?’

‘No. Could just hear you from upstairs. Heard you laughin’ as well.’ She went back to her meal, munching thoughtfully on a chip. ‘Who’s Paddy?’

Robert looked at Aaron, who was looking at him while Liv was distracted. ‘He… he kind of took me in when I came back to Emmerdale.’

‘I thought your Mum took you in?’

‘Yeah, but she and him were together for a bit. When they broke up, I stayed with him.’

Liv frowned. ‘Why’d you stay with ‘im?’

Aaron took a breath and looked at Robert for help, but he directed a helpless look at Liv. _‘She should know’_ , the look said. ‘He was… like a… a Dad to me. He looked after me.’

‘How?’

‘He was just there for me… even when I didn’t deserve it. And he helped me. A lot.’

Liv looked away. ‘Sounds like you did alright for yourself then. After Gordon kicked you out.’

Robert looked around the restaurant. People weren’t looking, but he knew that if either of them started to cry or yell, it would cause a scene. ‘Look, maybe this isn’t the best place to do this.’

She scraped her chair back and stomped away. Aaron exhaled heavily, and Robert put his hand on his boyfriend’s clenched fist. ‘Do you want me to go after her?’

‘No. No, I’ll go. Sorry, Rob. Can you—’

‘Yeah, yeah, course. Don’t worry about that.’ Aaron pressed a quick kiss to Robert’s lips—something which took them both by surprise—and ran out of the restaurant after his sister. Robert got a waiter’s attention for the bill, his lips still tingling.

****

‘Liv!’ As predicted, she ignored him completely and carried on running. ‘Liv! Olivia!’ That made her stop, but she didn’t turn around. Aaron approached her and put his hand on her back, directing her to a bench. 

‘Talk to me,’ Aaron said.

She was quiet for a moment, gathering her thoughts, then she exploded. ‘You know, when it was just me and Mum it was so hard! She used to be on these tablets, and I’d have to take care of her all the time. Sometimes I’d go into her room, and she wouldn’t wake up and I’d have to call the doctor. But you had this cushy life here, with your new Dad and your Mum and that whole big family.’

Aaron let her finish. He couldn’t decide if he was angry with her or sad for her. ‘Liv, I know you had it bad. You told me about it. And I’m sorry if you think that when I went to Emmerdale I had it easy, and yeah, I guess after Gordon kicked me out, compared to you I did.’

‘I grew up without a Dad,’ Liv said. ‘And I know what… he did to you. But afterwards, you had this Paddy bloke, and you said yourself, he took care of you.’

Aaron nodded. ‘Yeah. He did. And I know that I was lucky to have found him. But Liv, your mum loves you as well, you know. She took you away from Gordon because she loves you.’ He pulled her to his side and she allowed him to. ‘I can’t change anything, Liv. I would if I could.’ He felt her nod against his shoulder. ‘But I can try to be for you what Paddy was for me.’

‘I don’t want you to be my Dad,’ she said. ‘I want you to be my brother.’

‘Okay. I just meant that I can look after you. Like Paddy looked after me.’

Liv nodded again. She was quiet for a little while. ‘You sounded happy when you spoke to him,’ she said. ‘I don’t think I’ve heard you sound like that before. Like… content.’

‘Yeah. Paddy has that affect on people.’ He thought about it. ‘Most of the time, anyway.’ He gripped his sister a little tighter, smiling when she let him. ‘He would have loved you, you know.’

‘Doubt it,’ she said. She sniffed, but she held the tears at bay. ‘My Mum always says I’m difficult to look after.’

‘Difficult to look after maybe, but not difficult to love,’ Aaron said. He smiled sadly. ‘Besides, when I was your age, I was… an absolute horror!’ He grinned when Liv started to object and laugh. ‘No, I was. I was so horrible to Paddy. I bullied him, I didn’t appreciate him. I didn’t give him a reason to love me that was for sure! But he did. He stood by me through a lot, even when other people may have given up on me.’

Liv looked thoughtful, and Aaron let her think things through. ‘That sounds more like Robert,’ she murmured after a while. Aaron was taken aback.

‘Robert?’

‘Yeah. Like, the way I was always mean to him, almost got him arrested, tried to break the two of you up. But he still likes me.’

‘Huh. You’re not wrong, y’know.’ He smiled. 

She was quiet for a bit again. ‘Did you tell Paddy?’ she asked. ‘About Gordon?’

‘No.’ Aaron took a deep breath. ‘Robert was the first person I told.’

Liv drew back and looked at him, surprise etched on her face. ‘What? Ever?’

‘Yeah. No one else knew.’

‘Why’d you tell ‘im?’

Aaron shrugged. ‘He found me when I was about to leave the village. He saved my life. He was _there_ when I needed someone. And I guess… on some level even then I trusted him.’ He smiled, but it was mixed up in sadness as well. He stopped the subject before she could ask anything else. Anything else could be saved for another day, when they both were feeling a bit stronger. ‘C’mon. He’s probably wondering where we are.’

Robert had texted him, and they found him back at the car, waiting outside. He straightened immediately. ‘Everything alright?’ he asked, looking at both siblings in turn.

Liv nodded. ‘Yeah. Sorry for ruining lunch.’

‘No, no. Don’t be daft,’ Robert said. He opened the back door for her. ‘There’ll be other lunches.’ She surprised him by giving him a quick hug before she got into the car.

Robert looked at Aaron in surprise, to which his boyfriend raised his eyebrows. He looked exhausted. Robert embraced him not caring who was around (even though the car park was pretty empty), and Aaron let him. He sighed against Robert’s shoulder. ‘Let’s go home, eh?’

**Author's Note:**

> Come have a nosy on tumblr!: [](http://www.portinastorm.tumblr.com)Port in a Storm


End file.
